Fractured

Welcome

You belong among the wildflowers, 
You belong in a boat out at sea.
Sail away, kill off the hours.
You belong somewhere you feel free. 

— Wildflowers - Tom Petty  

Chapter Nineteen
Welcome

As the train rushed across Europe, the novelty began to wear off. Most of the children returned to their compartments. One by one they were lulled to sleep by the rocking train. Nova, however, was fascinated still. She hardly moved from her seat by the window. She would time her bathroom breaks in between stops so she wouldn't miss anything. At each new place and landmark, she bombarded her father with questions. He patiently answered each one, Googling anything he didn't know.

'Woah,' Nova whispered.

'What's up, my little travel bug?' Draco asked, looking up from his newspaper.

The train had risen from the water and was slowing down. Draco looked out into the evening, following Nova's finger to where she was pointing.

'Those are the pyramids,' Ginny said from behind them. 'Welcome to Africa!'

Ginny settled into the chair next to Nova, and regaled her with stories of the Weasley holiday to Egypt. Draco watched Nova's eyes grow bigger, and quickly escaped before she could demand a trip there too.

The train pulled away from Cairo, and headed along the coast towards Libya. Everyone began bustling around, tidying up and packing their travel bags. Barely an hour later, they were crowded by the carriage door. Everyone watched as the train pulled into Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso.

Nova was resting her chin on Draco's shoulder, having insisted on a piggy-back ride so she could see. She was irritable from being overexcited and awake past her bedtime. The train slowed to a halt and the door slid open with a quiet hiss. A wave of warm air washed over them. Harry left the train first, and helped everyone step down onto the concrete.

The length of the platform was lit by lampposts, casting yellow pools of light. They began the long walk to the main area of the station. Witches and wizards walked along the side of the train, carrying baskets of fruit on their heads. Hands reached out of the train windows to purchase bundles of bananas.

They walked under tall archways and felt an invisible barrier shift around them. They pushed through into a large waiting area, almost entirely devoid of people.

'Ginny!' A man cried, jumping up from a metal bench. 'Hello everyone, how are you all? How was your trip?'

'Youssef, hi!' Ginny embraced him, beaming. 'It was fine, how are you?'

The man was the same height as Ginny, with a slim, wiry build. His close-cropped hair was turning grey, and he had wrinkles around his eyes that deepened as he smiled. His robes were a mix of brightly coloured patterns, contrasting with his dark skin.

'Everyone, this is Youssef Sankara,' Ginny said. 'He's the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, overseeing the whole African continent. He's also a retired professional Quidditch player, and past Burkinabé Minister for Magic.'

'I was only Minister for two days,' he laughed, his voice was deep and accented. 'I decided I'd miss Quidditch too much to give it up for a desk job.'

'Sounds like something you would do,' Albus whispered to Rose.

'Nah,' Scorpius whispered back, 'she'd never consider the office job in the first place.'

Rose ignored them both, staring wonder-struck at Youssef. She had read about him in her Quidditch books, and had had a poster of him and the Burkinabé team on her bedroom wall for years.

Ginny introduced everyone, and Youssef shook each person's hand enthusiastically. Rose smiled weakly at him, earning a bright grin in reply.

'My car is just out front. I'll take you all to your house so you can get some sleep. Have you eaten?'

Everyone nodded, though Hugo glanced hopefully at Draco. He shook his head and motioned for Hugo to follow the others. They crammed into the waiting van as Youssef tied everyone's bags to the roof. Nova was already falling asleep, her eyes fluttering shut as she curled up on Draco's knee.

Lily and Scorpius were also asleep by the time Youssef stopped. The headlights lit up a wrought-iron gate, with high concrete walls towering over them. A teenage boy hopped out of the gate-house, and walked up to the car window.

'Hey there, Taj,' Youssef said, smiling at the boy. 'It's just me, bringing the Ambassadors.'

Taj nodded and pulled the gate open wide enough for Youssef to drive through. They heard the gate crunching shut behind them.

'Here we are,' Youssef said, passing the bags down to them. 'Ginny, your family is on the ground floor. Ambassador Hermione, yours is on the next floor.'

He handed them both keys and pointed to the doors to both apartments. The house had been freshly painted with white stucco and had a covered walkway that wrapped around it.

'I'll pick you up in the morning to go to the market and buy your supplies, ok?'

'Sounds great,' Ginny said, yawning. 'What time?'

'Ten o'clock?'

They agreed and headed inside. The door squeaked shut behind Rose as they walked up the steps to their floor. The door at the top of the stairs opened into the main living space. Comfy sofas surrounded a coffee table, and a flat screen TV was in the corner. Behind the sofas were the dining room and kitchen. Hugo headed to the fridge and pulled it open. It was stocked full of groceries and bottled water.

'Sweet!'

There were three bedrooms, one with a double bed and the others with two single beds. Artwork was hanging on all the walls, splashes of colour against the white paint.

'Hugo and Scorpius, which one do you two want?'

Scorpius and Rose looked at each other in surprise. Nova wandered over to one of the beds and flopped onto it.

'Guess this is your room then, Rose!' Hermione laughed. 'It makes more sense to share this way for now. Then when you both head to school in a couple of days, Hugo and Nova already have their own room.'

'Oh. Yeah. That makes sense,' Rose said, trying to mask her disappointment. 'Night everyone.'

'Bathroom is just down the hall,' Draco said, popping his head into the room. 'Second door on your right.'

Rose nodded and crawled into bed, not bothering to change into her pajamas. Draco blew the girls a kiss and turned out the light. He left the door cracked open, the hallway light shining for Nova. She was scared of the dark and would quickly panic if she woke up and there was no light.

Rose could hear Nova snoring quietly in the next bed. She jumped slightly as the air conditioning unit rattled into life. Rose frowned, unsettled by the strange sounds and smells. Her eyelids felt heavy as exhaustion washed over her, and she was soon asleep.

*****

A/N: We're finally at the part of the story I've been putting off for eighteen chapters! I'm SO nervous about accurately portraying the different aspects of African countries and cultures! Please let me know if I make any mistakes. I'm trying to google photos and describe things as best as I can.

Also, in canon (according to Pottermore) Youssef is really called Joshua. I decided to rename him, since I already had a Josh. Hope no-one minds!

Much love,
Charli